One House at a (Christmas) Time

The Jackson Family’s Progressive Dinner

Written by JACKIE KENNEDY  •   Photography Courtesy of CAROL GLOVER and CATHY WRIGHT

“Carol and I stole the idea from a Sunday School class we were attending at First Baptist at that time, and we thought it might work for our families,” says Cathy Wright. “We proposed the idea to the rest of the family, and they went along with it. At that time, everyone was still living in Newnan, so there were lots of houses to put on the schedule. The progression from house to house gave us all a chance to see everyone’s Christmas decorations and anything else they wanted to show off.”

The night’s schedule has remained basically the same through the decades: Dinner begins at 4:30 or 5 p.m. at a home designated for appetizers, which usually includes pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, chips and dips, cheeses and fruits. From there, the caravan moves to the next home for salads. Next, the families head to a third home for the main course of soups and sandwiches with Honeybaked ham, pimiento cheese, potato soup, vegetable soup or chili.

Each year, one stop is set aside for singing Christmas carols from the Jackson Family Christmas Notebooks, songbooks that Cathy put together with the family’s favorite yuletide tunes.

“This is at Cathy and Lamar’s house since that’s where the piano is,” says Carol. “Lamar’s dad, W. L. Wright, used to join us there to play the songs for us. Everyone got a chance to select a favorite from the notebook, and the break in eating allowed us to digest some of the food already consumed so we might be able to hold the desserts at Mama’s house.”

In the past, the families landed last at Daddy Gene and Mama Ruth’s house —where sisters Diane Dawson, Cathy, Carol and Connie Davis and their baby brother Alan grew up. Dessert there usually included Mama Ruth’s coconut cake and chocolate pound cake, Connie’s turtle cheesecake and Cathy’s pecan pie. After dessert, the whole clan gathered in the living room to open presents.

“When we were all married with young families, Daddy would sneak some money into our stockings at every house,” Carol recalls. “It was so sweet.”

Even after Alan and his wife Denise moved to Nashville, they continued to visit for the family dinner until they had children of their own and opted to stay home on Christmas Eve. Cathy admits that her brother and other menfolk in the family were never as enthusiastic as the women about the annual moving-about-town meal.

“Some of the guys fuss about it,” she says. “Alan calls it ‘The Depressive Dinner’ and says he’s glad he doesn’t have to be a part of it anymore.”

Instead, he and Denise and their girls would always come down a week before Christmas for a family visit at Mama Ruth’s. Some years, even though their baby brother was not at the progressive dinner in person, he was in spirit, according to Cathy who recalls the year 1993 when Alan sent five black limousines to chauffeur each family from home to home.

“You can’t imagine what a stir that created,” Cathy recalls. “We literally had a parade of cars. We were driving around Court Square and the police stopped us. I guess it either looked like someone died or we were the mafia. Alan just had the most fun doing that.”

Ten years later, in 2013, he and Denise came down for the progressive dinner, and Alan had The Varsity deliver the meal to Mama Ruth’s house, according to Carol.

“Alan had ordered Varsity and arranged for all of us to stay just at Mama’s house that night because it was getting difficult for her to get in and out of cars and houses so many times,” says Carol. “There were a few times after that we tried to keep it at one house, for her sake, even though she always loved the progressive dinner most of all.”

For four decades, the holiday dinner was held on Christmas Eve, but in recent years it was moved to Dec. 22 or 23 to accommodate another family tradition.

“About 25 years ago, Banks and I and Cathy and Lamar became involved with singing at an 11 p.m. Christmas Eve service at Central Baptist, which meant we had to leave the dinner early to be at church at 9:30 for rehearsal,” says Carol. “The rest of the family members got frustrated with us because we kept rushing the progression so we could get to church on time.”

While the entire family once lived in Newnan, as it expanded over the years with new children and grandchildren, several family members moved away, which means a different crew shows up for dinner each year.

Connie and her husband Pat now live in West Virginia, and their sons are in New York and New Mexico. Sister Diane and her husband Jim Dawson live in Heard County with a daughter and granddaughter. Her older son and his daughters are in California; her younger son lives in Newnan with another granddaughter. Carol and Banks’ children and grands still live in Newnan, while Cathy and Lamar’s sons and grandkids live in Tennessee.

“So the dinner has dwindled some to just those of us still living in Newnan,” says Carol. “It’s a special treat when those living out of state can fly in and join us.”

Nowadays, the annual moving meal begins with appetizers at the home of Julie Roberts, Carol’s daughter, and her husband Lloyd. Next is the home of Philip Frank, Carol’s son, and his wife Candace for salads or more appetizers. The main course is usually at Carol’s house, and then it’s off for desserts and singing at Cathy’s, where the Wright family piano remains central to the family tradition.

As the family’s 46th progressive dinner approaches, Cathy ponders its future.

“There have been times when we’ve thought about changing it, making the night simpler, but all our kids protest,” she concludes. “It’s all they’ve ever known. It wouldn’t be Christmas without it. We’ll continue this tradition to honor Mama Ruth and Daddy Gene. It was important to them.”

Christmas Recipes with the Jacksons

The Jackson family shares favorite dishes from their annual progressive holiday dinner. While some of these are straight from the kitchens of Mama Ruth and her daughters, others are from Alan Jackson’s 1994 cookbook, “Who Says You Can’t Cook it All?” The cookbook is available for purchase at Coweta County Visitor’s Center inside the historic Courthouse on Newnan Court Square.

Mama Ruth’s “Watch Out” Cheese Wafers

Mix margarine and cheese; gradually add flour and pepper. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

Potato Cheese Soup

In large saucepan, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Add potatoes and broth. Simmer until potatoes are tender; stir in milk and seasonings; heat through. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Garnish.

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Peel and cut up sweet potatoes. Cover with water and cook until tender. Beat cooked potatoes. Add granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, eggs, salt, 1 stick margarine and vanilla. Mix well. Pour mixture into sprayed casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees until set in pan, approximately 30-40 minutes.

For topping, mix ¼ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ stick margarine and pecans. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Brown for 10 minutes.

Cathy’s Christmas Eve Chili

Begin by browning ground beef in a large saucepan with water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and minced dried onions. Add bell pepper. After browning, add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well.

Turn heat down to simmer, then add red kidney beans. Stir in chili powder. Add vinegar and sugar. Mix well. Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve in bowls with small soup crackers. Or, for a winter supper, serve over hot cornbread and mashed potatoes.

Heavenly Hash

Dissolve gelatin and marshmallows in hot water. Blend remaining ingredients except pecans in blender and blend well. Add nuts to gelatin mixture. Put into a serving bowl. Refrigerate overnight if possible.

Alan’s Eggnog

Whip cream until stiff. Add ¼ cup sugar. In another bowl, whip egg whites and ½ cup sugar until stiff. In another bowl, whip egg yolks until creamy with ½ cup sugar. Add liquor to whipped yolks. Stir in milk. Mix all ingredients together. Pour or chill. Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired. Enjoy!